Buff Banner

"Bugle" redirects here. You may have been looking for Battalion's Backup.

{Item infobox | type = weapon | image = SoldierBuff.png | 3d-image-1 = Buff Banner | 3d-image-2 = Buff Banner Alt | 3d-image-3 = Buff Banner Alt 2 | 3d-image-4 = Buff Banner Alt 3 | 3d-image-5 = Buff Banner Festive | 3d-image-7 = Buff Banner Backpack Festive | 3d-button-1 = default_half | 3d-button-2 = default_half | 3d-button-3 = default_half | 3d-button-4 = default_half | 3d-button-5 = colored_pair | 3d-button-7 = colored_pair | 3d-viewname-1 = Combined | 3d-viewname-2 = Banner | 3d-viewname-3 = Bugle | 3d-viewname-4 = Backpack | 3d-viewname-5 = Combined Festive | 3d-viewname-7 = Backpack Festive | hide-kill-icon = yes | used-by = Soldier | slot = secondary | equip-region = back | released = December 17, 2009 Patch | released-major = WAR! Update | availability = Unlock, Drop, Craft, Purchase, Uncrate #52 (Festive), Chemistry Set (Collector's) or Uncrate #92 (Strange) | marketable = yes | numbered = no | medieval = yes | ammo-loaded = N/A | ammo-carried = N/A | loadout = yes

 | item-kind        = Battle Banner
 | item-level       = 5
 | item-description = Provides an offensive buff that causes
nearby team members to do mini-crits.
Rage increases through damage done.

}}

“

Admit it: Every so often, you suspect you’re carrying your team... How about motivating those lazy sons of bitches to put on their war face and fight? — Buff Banner publicity blurb

”

The Buff Banner is an unlockable secondary weapon for the Soldier. It is a tattered, battle-standard flag mounted on a small backpack and accompanied by a dented brass bugle. The war flag itself – which is rectangular and colored faded yellow with a brown starburst design and moves realistically – remains hidden in the backpack until it is activated, at which point it appears on a pole mounted to the pack.

Equipping the Buff Banner adds a "Rage meter" to the Soldier's HUD, which is filled by dealing damage to enemies. The Rage meter becomes full after the Soldier has dealt 600 damage in a single life, at which point he can sound his bugle to rally his teammates (playing a different tune on RED than when on BLU). Telefragging an enemy results in a fully charged rage meter, regardless of the previous charge or the type of class killed. Switching classes, dying, or unequipping the Buff Banner empties the Rage meter completely.

During the 10 seconds following this rallying call, all hits made by allies positioned within 450 Hammer units of the Soldier, including his own, become mini-crits. Buffed players within the radius emit team-colored rings of light from their feet, and their weapons brighten similarly to a crit boost. It is possible to delay the release of the effect of the Buff Banner after the bugle call, and thereby delaying the buffing effect, by holding down the primary fire key (default key: MOUSE1).

Though players only receive the buff while positioned within the buff radius, the source or sources of their damage need not be within the radius, so traveling rockets, pre-laid stickybombs, Sentry Guns, bleeding and afterburn deal mini-crit damage as long as their creator is buffed when the damage is actually dealt. Likewise, a damage source created within the buff radius does not gain a mini-crit benefit if its creator no longer has the buff when the damage is dealt.

The Buff Banner is automatically given to any player who obtains 17 Soldier achievements.

Damage and function times

See also: Damage

Damage and function times
Effect range		450 Hammer units
Damage
Charge fill damage		600
Function times
Effect duration		10 s
Activation time		3 s
Values are approximate and determined by community testing.

Crafting

See also: Crafting

Blueprint

Class Token - Soldier		Slot Token - Secondary		Scrap Metal		Possible Results
	+		+		=

As a crafting ingredient

Buff Banner		Reclaimed Metal		Battalion's Backup
	+		=

Buff Banner		Reclaimed Metal		Sticky Jumper		B.A.S.E. Jumper
	+		+		=

Strange variant

Strange variant information

Strange Buff Banner Strange Battle Banner - Banners Deployed: 0 Provides an offensive buff that causes nearby team members to do mini-crits. Rage increases through damage done. Only the first statistic counts towards the strange rank. Available as a Strange Festive variant.

Compatible Strange parts Strange Part: Damage Dealt Strange Cosmetic Part: Fires Survived Strange Part: Allied Healing Done Strange Part: Allies Extinguished Strange Part: Scouts Killed Strange Part: Soldiers Killed Strange Part: Pyros Killed Strange Part: Demomen Killed Strange Part: Heavies Killed Strange Part: Engineers Killed Strange Part: Medics Killed Strange Part: Snipers Killed Strange Part: Spies Killed Strange Part: Cloaked Spies Killed Strange Part: Low-Health Kills Strange Part: Posthumous Kills Strange Part: Kills While Übercharged Strange Part: Defender Kills Strange Part: Underwater Kills Strange Part: Critical Kills Strange Part: Gib Kills Strange Part: Kills While Explosive Jumping Strange Part: Headshot Kills Strange Part: Airborne Enemies Killed Strange Part: Burning Enemy Kills Strange Part: Medics Killed That Have Full ÜberCharge Strange Part: Unusual-Wearing Player Kills Strange Part: Point-Blank Kills Strange Part: Long-Distance Kills Strange Part: Domination Kills Strange Part: Revenge Kills Strange Part: Full Moon Kills Strange Part: Halloween Kills Strange Part: Kills During Victory Time Strange Part: Kills with a Taunt Attack Strange Part: Buildings Destroyed Strange Part: Sappers Destroyed Strange Part: Robots Destroyed Strange Part: Giant Robots Destroyed Strange Part: Robot Spies Destroyed Strange Part: Tanks Destroyed Strange Part: Robots Destroyed During Halloween Strange Part: Projectiles Reflected Strange Cosmetic Part: Freezecam Taunt Appearances Strange Part: Killstreaks Ended Strange Part: Player Hits

Related achievements

 Soldier

Banner of Brothers Buff 5 Steam friends at once with the Buff Banner.

The Boostie Boys Buff 15 teammates with the Buff Banner in a single life.

Mann vs. Machievements

Turbocharger Buff 4 or more teammates as a Soldier at the same time in a single wave.

Update history

December 17, 2009 Patch (WAR! Update)

• The Buff Banner was added to the game.

December 22, 2009 Patch

• Fixed the Buff Banner not working when +reload has been forced in the console.
• Fixed inconsistent Rage generation with the Buff Banner.
• Fixed the player keeping their rage setting when the Buff Banner isn't equipped.
• Fixed resupply cabinet not clearing the rage and the buff status effect.

January 6, 2010 Patch

• Soldier Rage bar no longer resets when touching a resupply cabinet.

January 13, 2010 Patch

• Increased the rate of the Soldier's Rage generation by 40%.
• Reduced the duration of the Soldier's Buff Banner effect from 14 seconds to 10.

April 28, 2010 Patch

• Added jiggle bones to the Buff Banner.

September 30, 2010 Patch (Mann-Conomy Update)

• [Undocumented] The weapon was added in the crafting blueprint for the Battalion's Backup.

October 6, 2010 Patch

• Soldiers no longer maintain their rage level when changing loadout.

February 3, 2011 Patch

• Updated flag model with optimizations and LODs.

March 10, 2011 Patch (Shogun Pack)

• Updated bugle model with optimizations and LODs.

June 10, 2011 Patch

• Fixed a bug that caused players to see the wrong backpacks on some classes.

January 11, 2012 Patch

• Fixed incorrect player animations for the Buff Banner.

March 15, 2012 Patch

• Fixed Soldier buffs and rage meters not always being reset.

December 20, 2012 Patch (Mecha Update)

• Added Festive variant.
• [Undocumented] Rage can now be generated from Tanks in Mann vs. Machine.

January 16, 2013 Patch

• Fixed Strange Festive Buff Banner not always tracking usage.
• Added The Festive Buff Banner to the list of items allowed in Medieval Mode.

July 10, 2013 Patch

• [Undocumented] Added "Mini Crit!" next to the health bar when under the effects of the Buff Banner.
• [Undocumented] Changed description from "Provides an offensive buff that causes nearby team members to do mini-crits." to "Provides an offensive buff that causes nearby team members to do mini-crits. Rage increases through damage done."

November 12, 2013 Patch

• [Undocumented] Added Collector's quality.

April 1, 2014 Patch

• [Undocumented] Fixed crit boosted glow not showing.

November 20, 2014 Patch

• [Undocumented] Updated model.

March 12, 2015 Patch

• Added Strange quality.

Unused content

• There are two unused textures for separate "attack" and "defense" banners in the game files, which depict an explosion with an orange background and a shield with a green background, respectively. Why the defense concept was not included on release is unknown, but the concept has since been given to the Battalion's Backup.
• In the VPK, there exists a BLU version of the Buff Banner flag (listed as c_buffbanner_blue).

Bugs

• If the player switches to another secondary weapon while the rage is active, the mini-crit buff is deployed until the rage is depleted.
• If the user switches to another banner and then touches a Resupply locker, the rage is carried over.
• The Strange variant of the item can rank up during battles against bots and when sv_cheats is set to 1.

Trivia

• The bugle was originally issued to American monkeynaut Poopy Joe as a means of calling for help before it was acquired by Mann Co. under entirely innocent circumstances.
  • The bugle is actually used in this way at the end of a round on the Special Delivery map Doomsday. The sound of the Buff Banner's bugle can be heard as the rocket begins to crash after prematurely running out of fuel.
• The Buff Banner has text on its back, reading "Screaming Eagles". This is a reference to the United States Army's 101st Airborne Division, nicknamed the Screaming Eagles, and is also a phrase used by the Soldier.
• The Festive variant of the Buff Banner has the "Screaming Eagles" text replaced with "Smissmas".
  • It also replaces the skull patch with one that appears to have an image of the Pyromancer's Mask with two candy canes acting as crossbones.

Gallery

• 

  First-person view.

• 

  Backpack component.

• 

  RED Festive variant.

• 

  BLU Festive Variant.

• 

  Bugle component.

• 

  Flag component.

• 

  Players being buffed.

• 

  The unused attack explosion flag texture.

• 

  The unused defense shield flag texture.

• 

  The unused texture for the BLU version of the Buff Banner's flag.

See also

• Buff Banner strategy
• Festive weapons

External links

• The Soldier Update - The Buff Banner